In the Democratic stronghold of Silicon Valley, Republicans have virtually no chance of picking up a seat in the state Legislature next month, but a handful of runoffs that pit Democrats against Democrats are generating plenty of buzz.

Palo Alto City Councilman Marc Berman and patent attorney Vicki Veenker are dueling for the Peninsula’s 24th Assembly District seat . In the South Bay, two San Jose politicians are battling to succeed termed-out Assemblywoman Nora Campos in the 27th Assembly District, while Campos has challenged incumbent state Sen. Jim Beall in the 15th Senate District.

Berman emerged from the eight-candidate June primary as the fall favorite in the 24th District, winning 28.2 percent of the vote, followed by Veenker with 22.2 percent. He has also racked up more high-profile endorsements from state and county leaders in a district in which Democrats outnumber Republicans in voter registration by nearly three to one. He leads the money race as well.

Berman’s campaign reported Oct. 10 that it had raised $569,000 this year with a cash balance of $270,000. Veenker’s most recent report, filed Sept. 29, showed her with a $461,000 haul in 2016 and $92,000 in the bank. And she has added more than $35,000 since that filing.

Though they are competing fiercely, the candidates are similar in background and priorities. Like Veenker, Berman is an attorney. Until last year, he was development director for the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes science, technology and math education. Veenker is a former board president of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, which provides legal and other services to low-income residents.

Berman is focused on education, infrastructure and housing. He advocates for universal preschool and says as a legislator he would push for a statewide bond to fund affordable housing. To pay for road improvements, he argues that the state should consider raising the gas tax or replacing it with a fee based on miles traveled.

His opponent also cites education as a top priority and also supports universal preschool, along with reduced K-12 class sizes and easing college students’ debt. Veenker’s other priorities include water conservation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, stances that have drawn endorsements from environmental groups like the Sierra Club.

In the 27th Assembly District, which includes half of San Jose, two former colleagues on the San Jose City Council are going head-to-head in a race that’s taken an ugly turn.

Former San Jose Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen and current District 2 Councilman Ash Kalra present vastly different leadership styles and approaches to tackling local issues.

Kalra, a former deputy public defender who’s backed by labor unions, has touted himself as a voice for the working class. He promises to bolster resources for public schools, invest in public transit and find solutions to the housing affordability crisis.

Nguyen, a college instructor who has endorsements from business groups, has highlighted her record of fiscal accountability. She promises to fight for funding for transportation projects, affordable housing and improvements to education. She also wants to bring a University of California campus to San Jose.

The two candidates have clashed on public pensions. Kalra in 2012 did not support placing the pension-cutting Measure B on the ballot, saying it would lead to litigation and drive away police officers and other employees. Nguyen supported the measure, arguing that the city needed to reel in skyrocketing pension costs amid budget deficits that led to deep cuts in city services.

Nguyen has raised twice as much as Kalra, bringing in a little more than $1 million as of Sept. 24, compared with Kalra’s $506,264. Kalra denounced the significant outside funding — more than $3 million in independent expenditures from groups such as Govern for California, which advocates for pension reform, and the California Apartment Association — that have poured in to support his opponent. Nguyen fired back by saying Kalra has enjoyed support from special interest groups like labor unions.

In Senate District 15, Beall trounced Campos in the four-candidate primary, winning 49.4 percent of the vote. Campos finished with 26.9 percent.

She was a surprise last-minute entry into the race against Beall, a longtime San Jose lawmaker who has focused on transportation, housing and education. He has also championed mental health issues and recently had a law signed that increases oversight of children in foster care, in particular in relation to psychotropic drugs.

Campos recently passed legislation requiring that school employees who are parents of newborns receive paid leave, as well as a wage inequity law that doesn’t allow employers to take previous salary into account when setting a pay scale. Gender equality has long been one of her priorities, along with education and job creation.

While Beall and Campos are both liberals with union support and similar interests in funding education and affordable housing, they differ on environmental issues, with Beall taking a stronger stance against oil companies, while Campos says she takes “real world impacts” into account.

Beall has a comfortable fundraising lead, having brought in nearly $900,000 through Sept. 24. Campos raised about $356,000 in the same period. Beall had about $140,000 in his war chest at the end of September, Campos roughly $38,000.

The 15th District encompasses much of Silicon Valley, including Cupertino, Los Gatos, Campbell and a large swath of San Jose. Democrats outnumber Republicans in voter registration 44 to 23 percent.

Marc Berman

Age: 35

Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science from Georgetown University; law degree from the University of Southern California.

After working as a corporate attorney with Latham & Watkins LLP and Merino Yebri LLP, he became development director for the Silicon Valley Education Foundation. Elected to the Palo Alto City Council in 2013.

Occupation: Attorney

Family: Single, no children

Top three priorities: Education, infrastructure, affordable housing

Quote: “We need to create more early learning opportunities so that children start kindergarten on a level playing field and ready to learn.”

Vicki Veenker

Age: 54

Education: Bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry and political science from Indiana University; law degree from Georgetown University.

Experience: Served as partner for Shearman & Sterling LLP before opening her own law offices. Past board president of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley and general counsel of Women’s Professional Soccer.

Occupation: Attorney

Family: Married, two daughters

Top three priorities: Education, water conservation, climate change

Quote: “I was raised by public school teachers. I believe in public school education.”

Jim Beall

Age: 64

Education: Political science degree from San Jose State

Experience: Assemblyman for 24th District, 2006 to 2012; Santa Clara County supervisor, San Jose city councilman.

Occupation: State senator

Family: Married, two stepsons.

Top three priorities: Transportation, affordable housing, education.

Quote: “We cannot allow our foster care system to strictly rely on dosing foster children with mind-altering medications to manage their behavior. We must ensure that less-invasive and safer available treatments are the first options for our children rather than a pill.”

Nora Campos

Age: 51

Education: Bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State.

Experience: San Jose City Council, 2001 to 2010.

Occupation: Assemblywoman for 27th District.

Family: Married; one son.

Top three priorities: Education, job creation, pay equity for women.

Quote: “When employers rely on prior salaries to set wages, they are often perpetuating unfair wage disparities in the job market, particularly for women and people of color.”

Madison Nguyen

Age: 41

Education: B.A. in history from UC Santa Cruz; master’s in social science from University of Chicago.

Experience: San Jose City Council, 2005 to 2014; Franklin-McKinley Board of Education, 2002 to 2005.

Occupation: College instructor at De Anza College

Family: Married with one daughter.

Top three priorities: Education, job creation and affordable housing.

Quote: “Every child deserves a good life, and that starts with a great education. I’m committed to strengthening education at every level — from implementing universal preschool to advocating for job-training courses in our high schools and community colleges to bringing a new University of California right here to San Jose.”

Ash Kalra

Age: 44

Education: Bachelor’s degree in communications from UC Santa Barbara; law degree from Georgetown University

Experience: San Jose City Council, 2009 to 2016; deputy public defender for the Santa Clara County Public Defender’s Office, 1997-2008.

Occupation: San Jose councilman/educator.

Family: Single.

Top three priorities: Housing affordability, education and transportation.

Quote: “Living in the second-most-expensive housing market in the nation, it is incumbent upon leaders in Sacramento to identify short-term measures to house those with urgent needs and create long-term solutions to ensure everyone has access to safe, affordable housing.”

Eric Kurhi is a reporter for the Bay Area News Group based at The Mercury News. He covers Santa Clara County government and general assignment duties. An East Bay native, he has been editing and reporting at local newspapers since graduating from San Francisco State University in 1997.